Running game: A Little goes a long way

Posted: Saturday, November 17, 2007

Outstanding offenses need to strike a balance between running and passing. While Kentucky's gaudy aerial numbers get the lion's share of attention, the Wildcats' ground game led by Rafael Little has been equally impressive.

Despite missing three games with a deep thigh bruise, Little leads Kentucky in rushing with 752 yards and three touchdowns. He also provides a pass-catching threat out of the backfield with 18 receptions for 164 yards.

"Having Rafael in there is hugely important," Kentucky tight end Jacob Tamme said. "We joke around that 95 percent of the time the first guy will not tackle Rafael Little. It's fun watching him run with the football."

Little brings elusiveness and explosiveness to the Wildcats' backfield. He has topped 100 yards in five of seven games this season. He also offers Kentucky a safety valve when the downfield receivers are covered.

"A big part of his game that I think gets missed a lot is his ability to catch the football and run with it out of the backfield", Tamme said. "When André (Woodson) drops back and maybe gets a little pressure and the first couple of options aren't open, if you can get that ball to Rafael on a little throw, a lot of times he turns that 2- or 3-yard pass into a 10-, 15-, 20- maybe even a 30-yard gain."

In an injury-shortened 2006 season, Little ran for 673 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught 31 passes for 392 yards and two scores. Little would have led the nation in punt return average at 22.6 yards an attempt but did not play in the minimum number of games.

"It's no joke. The first guy really doesn't get him 95 percent of the time - at least 95 percent of the time," Kentucky receiver Keenan Burton said.

In Little's last injury-free season as a sophomore in 2005, he ran for 1,045 yards and nine touchdowns. He made 46 receptions for 499 yards and led the SEC in all-purpose yardage.

Injuries have taken Little out of seven games the last two seasons. He missed four games in 2006 because of a knee injury. This season he sat out Kentucky's 43-37 triple-overtime win against LSU. He also missed Kentucky's back-to-back losses to Florida (45-37) and Mississippi State (31-14).

He returned last week for Kentucky's win against Vanderbilt. But he missed practice early this week because of a back injury suffered against the Commodores.

One of the games Little missed last season was Kentucky's 24-20 win against Georgia. Tony Dixon took Little's place and accounted for 54 of Kentucky's rushing and receiving yards in its 69-yard drive. He capped the drive with a 3-yard, game-winning touchdown run.

"They made plays last year. They played some high-scoring games," Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. "They made plays last year and we didn't. You've got to give them credit. We just couldn't finish the game."